Tall flare nothing to worry about, Exxon said

The sight of some black smoke and a tall flare at ExxonMobil in Beaumont Thursday afternoon caused concern for some, but ExxonMobil spokeswoman Kathleen Jackson said it was nothing to worry about.

"Usually the major concern with black smoke is fire. There is no fire," Jackson said.

The company was switching pieces of equipment, which caused some excess flaring, she said. The black smoke can happen during the initial part of the switchover before steam combines with the emissions, she said.